Jorge Lorenzo has taken a famous victory at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The Yamaha rider got a lightning start off the line and it was only Marc Marquez who could keep up with his countryman in the early running. Lorenzo and Marquez streaked away from the rest of the field until Dani Pedrosa, who made an uncharacteristically poor start, had cleared Rossi, Bautista and Bradl ahead of him. He began to close the two and a half second gap to Lorenzo and Marquez, breaking the circuit lap record several times in the process. Having latched onto the back of the leading duo he was unable to find a way through and would find himself as something of a spectator to the drama that would unfold in the latter stages.

A memorable last lap stoush exploded between Lorenzo and Marquez with positions swapping several times in the final corners and the reigning champion coming out on top. Lorenzo's resilience sent a strong message to the young pretender to his throne and it also means that he claws back five valuable points in the chase for the 2013 championship crown.

Dani Pedrosa rode home in third place over a second behind the leaders but some eleven seconds ahead of Valentino Rossi and Alvaro Bautista. The two were involved in a familiar race long scrap for fourth, while Stefan Bradl, Cal Crutchlow, Nicky Hayden, Bradley Smith and Aleix Espargaro rounded out the top ten.

There were crashes for Lukas Pesek and Andrea Dovizioso, thankfully both riders were unhurt.

Comments

Two guys on the absolute edge, fighting for every centimeter on the track in the last few corners. Doesn't really get better than that.

Most telling though was Marquez just after the race saying he was happy with the 20 points. He can say anything he wants, I think he absolutely is going for the championship now. And I think he might just win it too.

To push Jorge like that after dislocating his shoulder. Happy for Jorge and Yamaha but unless Dani can start taking some points off Marquez it's title over. And once again Dani was close enough to make a move but failed to launch a single proper attack. He caught up to Marquez and then obediently followed him around until the end of the race. It's not like the end of 2012, he has to actually beat the other aliens to win races and he just can't do it.

On lap 6, DP did a lap time - in full race trim, with a nearly full tank - that would have put him comfortably 4th on the grid in QP. He clearly had the pace to win the race; he did three laps under 2.02, whereas MM only managed one, and JL none. Also, DP's first lap was a 2.06 so he was already four seconds down after one lap.

After an uncharacteristically poor start, he killed his rear tyre in catching MM and JL. Once he'd caught them he eased off to try to bring his tyre back, but to no avail, as soon as he opened the throttle the rear tyre would spin up and he could not get the drive he needed to challenge for the win.

Perhaps listen to the post-race interviews before your next post-race comment, because the above is exactly DP's explanation for how his race unfolded.

Brilliant race by JL, a well deserved win. I think MM has a bit more respect for JL after that one. Both JL and DP are going to have to dig deep and not miss a single opportunity if they are going to stay in the race for the title.

When a rider gives his all for 45 minutes, putting it all on the line to no avail, I think they have every right to be upset about it. No doubt Pedrosa was mentally kicking himself for screwing up his start, and despite recovering to the best of his ability he still went backwards in the points chase.

I'm not one of those guys who needs to see riders grinning and clowning around in order for me to enjoy the sport, maybe that's why I found it so easy to be a Stoner fan. To me it's all about the hardware and the racing; the riders personalities might be of primary interest to some, but not to me.

And I tired long ago of people trashing DPs performances, he is in the top three of racers on the planet, so why do people feel the need to denigrate his efforts?

Phenomenal riding and racing by MM and JL. One of the key reasons, to me, why MM has proven such a hit is that even when coming second he looks like he's really enjoying himself. JL smiled today but mostly because he won. DP looked like a slapped something.

At this point anyone saying that Marquez is getting these results is purely down to his bike is in some deep denial. I never pulled for Lorenzo in my life, but today I did. Even with a freshly separated collarbone repaired (I think it was the collarbone), this alien of aliens called Marquez, STILL almost won. This is with all the pressure in the world laid on him by Lorenzo. He has yet to crash or really make a big mistake under pressure.

The last lap will go down as one of the greatest last lap battles no matter what year. Feel for Pedrosa. Because he is looking like he is losing answers to his teammates pace race by race. This 'rookie' is making it look too damn easy.

Lorenzo has nothing to be humble about. He has every right to be ecstatic with his performance. Can we just please judge the riders on how they ride and how they give us this great show to watch, and not how they choose to celebrate their hard-fought victories?

Marc Marquez will be a better champion than Jorge could ever imagine. Marquez 'gets it' same as Rossi does... on and off track! Like Rossi, Marquez is a dancing Gladiator! Marquez enjoys the battles and his racing like Vale. They are entertaining Sportsmen. They are getting paid (very well) to do something they greatly enjoy, on the best bikes in the world with the best teams. Humbly enjoying where he is in life... Marc Marquez. He will be better for the sport of MotoGP. Marquez is just 20 years old. I hope Stoner is watching Marquez... maybe it will put a burning desire in Casey to come back and enjoy it like Marquez. No more whining Casey...

the outcome today,it is surprising to read of the inevitability of an MM Title victory. We learned today that.....JL can still win a race and that JL is not the least bit intimidated and can and will fight for his crown,that MM is hell on wheels even while injured and that it is difficult to win a race when you are injured.We learned as well,that MM can,in fact, even be injured by hitting the ground hard like other riders. We learned that Dani is still in striking range from second place,that VR really can still ride around and through people,he just can't out [late]brake them anymore...and that Alvaro got a serious wake up call from someone a few weeks back while Cal is going to be Cal and Nicky still has pride and skills. And best of all,in the always be careful what you ask for,as you may just get it category.....in the midst of the best battle for 1st we have seen in quite a while,we are at last treated to the coverage of tense scuffles for rearward spots,echoing the shock of the Ducati crews at the realization that they and their riders were being shown and not the scramble for the lead........

He is being honest. The Yamaha's strong point is corner speed but if there is a Honda parked mid corner, then it becomes a weakness. Also, when a question comes asking, why aren't you winning and you have a reasonable answer, that's not complaining It's answering the question.

I have heard everyone say how good MM. They don't have to start every statement with it. Or the obvious.

It's not like JL said, God hates MM. That's why he came in second. JL just said he's happy with his win.

amazing fight with marq and jorge. congrats jorge! had 2 highsiders in 2 weeks, 2 operation and a metal plate. jorge and marq making motogp good too watch! fighting from friday till sunday! dani another amazing waiting strategy behind hi's team mate. you could realy see he was waiting for..... for what dani? again seeing things? again the 2 honda's in the gravel thought? just put your bike were marq should put hi's bike on you! even in 2012 when you had the best bike you were just cruising behind lorre for the whole race and in the end blast by on the straight when hi's tyres were gone. you don't fight you just wait and wait and wait. Now watch how marq or Jorge become WC

Thus far its shaped up to be a memorable season of note. Todays duel for the win being one of the highest of the high points. Marc's gameness and raw skill vs George's gameness and raw skill was awesome to behold. The way George carried that immense corner speed lap in and lap out was something to behold.
The pair of them knew they put on a show of note. There really was not much Dani could have done about it other than risking a dumb ass lunge that could have sidelined all 3 of them.
Over at Ducati, Gobmeier needs to be making overtures to Marc's brother for 2015. Alien in the making. Ducati sorely need one.

what's a stoush? :)
Congrats to Jorge Lorenzo for an amazing ride to victory and to Marc Marquez for riding through the pain. Bummer that Pedrosa's rear tire gave up on him. I thought for sure he would have something left for the end of the race.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Marquez is not going to be denied this season. Like Cal Crutchlow said in a Roadracing World interview, he's like a cat, always landing on his feet. These guys all have superlative bike skills, but he seems to get away with more tire abuse than the rest, and doesn't seem to mind riding with the wheels way out of line.

It almost looked mid-race like Jorge was slowing the pace on purpose so Dani could catch up. Pedrosa has proven himself to be useless however. To not even attempt a single pass on Marc was inexcusable.

I too was screaming by the end of the race for Jorge to come back against the kid. Glad to finally see him do it.

I hope Honda drops Dani and makes Jorge an offer he can't refuse. To see him and Marc on what is clearly the best bike would be glorious. To see Jorge take a Honda title would be Lawson/Rossi like in terms of legend building.

..cant stand JLO's spoilt brat like stance when he wasnt winning, Atleast Marc was gracious in defeat, i saw him applaud JL many times on the cooldown lap and in parc ferme...what a rider, and a terrific sportsman to boot!! As for Dani, you have to wonder if people are actually watching the races after reading the comments posted in this thread, seriously do you actually think he wasn't trying to make a pass after blasting past Cal, Val, and Bautista?! ridiculous to think that he was hanging about just holding down third position! CLEARLY Marquez is so much stronger in the brakes, hence the reason every time Dani would pick the bike up the quickest in the corners and get a good tow, Marc would just ease away again on the brakes. Honestly people, have a good look in the replay and then you can put to rest the "Dani isnt trying" theorem.

It's that he's not good enough. He caught Marquez by half a second per lap and then just couldn't do anything about it. I don't buy that as soon as he arrived his tyres suddenly expired and that was it. There were quite a few laps where he was within striking distance and just couldn't do anything. Marquez is hard to get by but its not impossible as Jorge has shown over the past two races. In the second half of 2012 Dani went on a tear but didn't have any aliens seriously competing for the win. Its a totally different kettle of fish this year with two other aliens actually trying to win.

Maybe his tires didn't actually expire? Perhaps it was that Traction Control setting that the team was so adamant that he switch to that they cleared his pit board to show nothing but the command for a handful of laps in a row.

It's worth speculating that Alzamora and co may have taken control at Repsol, and HRC agrees that Marquez is their best bet to beat Jorge now and in the future. So Dani begins running down the golden boy and easily has the pace to pass, so they send the TC command and suddenly he is spinning every corner

This theory, if true, would be quite ironic for Dani considering 2006.

15 seconds into the Zapruder film, you can clearly see Shuhei Nakamoto on the grassy knoll. And wasn't Alzamora seen fleeing the scene of the WTC on 9/11?...

I think it's highly more likely that the stupid fuel limit meant that Pedrosa had used way too much fuel catching the leaders, and his crew was telling him he needed to use a leaner setting or he wouldn't make the finish. Or maybe Pedrosa wasn't lying when he said he destroyed his tires hunting down the frontrunners down. He ran several straight laps at essentially qualifying pace. How many qualifying laps do riders usually get out of a tire?

"The Spaniard had had a mediocre start, finding himself stranded behind Valentino Rossi and Stefan Bradl, and taking his time to work his way past. Once done, Pedrosa put the hammer down - the letter 'T' being shown on his board, he later revealed, was short for 'Tirar', the Spanish phrase for go as hard as you can. The Repsol Honda veteran broke the lap record on three consecutive laps on his way to catching Lorenzo and Marquez, but once he arrived, his tire had overheated and he had nothing for his two rivals."

Pedrosa is biding his time, and not taking any unnecessary risks to be sure he is around at the end of the season. He made one small "mistake" that was so slow it was pathetic, not his fault, that put him on his head. He has been great this season and clearly has the speed and will turn it on when he has to.

Still a long way to go and EVERYTHING is still up for grabs and ANYTHING can happen. Marquez looks like he is going to crash on every corner...astounding what he is doing and I just can't believe he can make it through an entire season with just 1 DNF, I fear there will be another (but I hope not). Lorenzo is immense, Rossi is on the same bike and is nowhere.

THIS is why we watch!!!

p.s. oh, and I don't miss sourpuss Stoner at all after seeing the passion and sportsmanship of Marquez...although would have have been great to see him mix it up with these boys.

"What is cowardice but the body's wisdom of it's weakness.
What is bravery, but the body's wisdom of its strength.
The coward and the hero march together within every man.
So to call one man 'coward' and another 'brave' merely serves to indicate the possibilities of their achieving the opposite."

I think Pedrosa's sense of self-preservation (not necessarily a bad thing to have!) has asserted itself, and is unlikely to go away any time soon. That doesn't make him a 'chicken-shit', 'pussy' or other coarsely identified 'loser' of some sort. It makes him someone who has simply had enough of the never ending string of injuries he's endured throughout his career. IMO, Pedrosa's cautious riding is not the result of 'smart,' calculated behavior; it's a result of the fact that a small, largely subconscious corner of his psyche is no longer willing to go along with the program.

To a certain extent, I agree. Which is all the more reason to replace him, if HRC need any more. 7 years on the best backed bike in the paddock without a rider's title is way too long. It was understandable while Repsol didn't have another available rider to tout their products on the home market, now it's looking like a bad idea.
Just a question, Kroppers; is SR45's contract with LCR like the Yamaha one with Tech3? If so, what are Scott's chances of being DP's replacement at the end of next season (assuming his results merit the idea)?

Pedrosa was shown a "T" when he caught up with Marquez and Lorenzo. The commentators said they don't know what it means. Looks more than a coincidence to me that he was then not able to do anything else after catching them from over 2(?) seconds behind. Cooked tyres is too common an explanation. I might have missed something, anyone here knows better?

I would presume the "T" is related with engine mapping.
Most of these bikes have different engine maps selectable by the rider (in left handlebar), for situations such as with wet track, worn tyres and/or fuel preservation.
These bikes carry a fuel load that is very tight, sometimes just enough to end the race (and why some bikes go out of fuel on the cooldown lap).

I have no idea if telemetry is possible to be viewed in real time by the pitcrew (whatsoever) so that bike behaviour on track is interpreted by technicians in the pits.
In anycase, a possible "theory" is that the way Pedrosa was pushing untill that point (consecutive fastest laps, catching the leaders) ment that fuel strategy or tyres (for the end of race) could be compromised, hence a possible need for a different engine map, for strategic reasons.

Wether HRC is now using strategies that protect the leading rider in championship points (Marquez) by making their other rider (Pedrosa) go a little slower when he's actually going faster.... well, that is unknown to public. We can only speculate.

all beat pedro for the champioship. dani is a spoilt brad. Jorge can be happy if he's 2nd or 3rd because he knows honda at the moment is better. but look at the pics of dani... never ever happy, always the long face never smile always something going on. mm always happy jorge always happy but not dani. if you drive to mm with 0.6 sec and not overtaking something is realy wrong with you. if you never fight dani you wil never win! GO JORGE GO MARQ. hope hrc ditch dani real soon. moto3 or 2 should suit him.

I have watched a lot of sporting contests (team, individual it doesn't matter) where one participant has got behind early and has burned so much energy and intensity getting back to parity that they are unable to win even though they looked like they had all the momentum in the chase.
Silverstone was another one, Pedrosa's inability to finish the charge could have been the legitimate result of a lack of tyres or fuel or the fact that it is easier to chase than to pass, particularly when the guys in front are Marquez and Lorenzo.
I hope that Pedrosa doesn't end up with Randy Mamola wih the tag one of the best riders never to have won the top crown.

Anyone, with any integrity, who cares about the sport, who actually has more than a passing interest, whose happiness is defined by a good race, will know that just because you came in second, it didn't make you the first loser!

Perhaps Marc's shoulder was hurting, it didn't stop numerous people in 'Parc ferme' from slapping on that shoulder, WTF!!!
Three of the top riders on the Planet, on the limit, with fights for the lead, plus a last corner pass! This is the type of race that we long to see, but is rarely delivered!
Congratulations, to everyone on the podium, thoroughly deserved!